The borough was settled about 1760 and first incorporated in 1875. The founder and first Chief Burgess of Bangor was Robert M. Jones, an emigrant from Bangor, Wales. He was the prime mover in the establishment of the slate industry in Northampton County. Slate quarries pepper the area, but only a few are still functioning. A life-sized statue of him, dedicated on September 24, 1914, remains in the town center. Indeed, if one visits Bangor, Wales it is clearly visible that the Welsh heritage made its way to Bangor, Pennsylvania, whose stone walls, rectangular gardens, and lovely flowers and greenery mirror those of its Welsh namesake. Around Bangor one can also see piles of slate residue and shale reminiscent of the area around Bethesda, Wales. The population of Bangor was 2,509 in 1890; 4,106 in 1900; 5,369 in 1910; and 5,687 in 1940. The population was 5,273 at the 2010 census. The Bridge in Bangor Borough and Real Estate Building are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Geography
Bangor is located at . According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough has a total area of. of it is land and of it is water.
Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 5,319 people, 2,105 households, and 1,420 families residing in the borough. The population density was 3,453.4 inhabitants per square mile. There were 2,249 housing units at an average density of 1,460.2 per square mile. The racial makeup of the borough was 97.9% White, 0.5% African American, 0.2% Native American, 0.3% Asian, 0.3% from other races, and 0.8% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.8% of the population. The plurality of Bangor residents are of German, Welsh, and Pennsylvania Dutch descent. There were 2,105 households, out of which 35.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.4% were married couplesliving together, 11.8% had a female householder with no male householder present, and 32.5% were non-families. 28.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.52 and the average family size was 3.09. In the borough the population was spread out, with 27.7% under the age of 18, 6.9% from 18 to 24, 31.2% from 25 to 44, 17.8% from 45 to 64, and 16.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 91.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.6 males. The median income for a household in the borough was $36,382, and the median income for a family was $44,954. Males had a median income of $36,972 versus $21,414 for females. The per capita income for the borough was $17,742. About 8.5% of families and 13.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 19.0% of those under age 18 and 15.1% of those age 65 or over.
Public education
The borough is served by the Bangor Area School District. This district has an average graduation class of 300-350 students every year. Bangor Area School district includes three elementary schools: Five Points Elementary School, Washington Elementary School and Domenick DeFranco Elementary. Five Points Elementary hosts Kindergarten through 2nd grade and Washington Elementary contains grades third and fourth grade. Domenick DeFranco Elementary contains grades fifth and sixth. The district has one middle school and one high school.
